Fancy Pink Diamonds

Each pink diamond in existence is the result of a rare and extraordinary phenomenon and is a treasure to own. The actual cause of natural pink dia­mond colour is still under speculation. Unlike other coloured diamonds where col­ouration is caused by a trace element, pink diamond colour thought to be caused by internal blem­ishes known as graining. The term pink as it relates to diamond grading is used to describe colours in the hue range from red­dish purple to orange. Differences in tone give a diamond its pink appearance, while saturation of colour determines a colour grade. Each pink diamond is cut in such a way to bring out the most colour saturation and each pink diamond differs from one another. It is quite possible to find lighter and darker shades within each respective grade.

Secondary Colours

It is not uncommon for coloured diamonds to have secondary colours in addition to their main colour. In pink diamonds, the most commonly occurring secondary modifiers include purple, brown and or­ange. For example, a pink rose' diamond while still predominately pink thas noticeable shades of brown, giving the diamond a warm pink colour. Pink diamonds with a secondary colour will generally cost less than a pure pink diamond. While budget influences the amount of available options, the final deci­sion on colour will be a mat­ter of personal preference. Selecting a smaller intense pink diamond is a smart alternative to a larger light pink for the same price as the smaller diamond that has more intense colour is more likely to have a higher value.

Investing in Pink Diamonds

Unlike white diamonds there is no price list that determines the value of pink diamonds. Since each stone is uniquely different, pric­ing will almost always fall within a range associated with its colour scale. Some of today’s most popular coloured diamonds are the purplish pink and pink diamonds from the Argyle mine in Australia which accounts for over 90% of the world's pink diamonds. In 2008 RioTinto shut down all open-pit operations at Argyle and converted to underground mining. The Argyle mine is expected to cease operating in 2018. Experts agree that underground mining will result in fewer quality stones with average size decreasing and overall supply dropping by at least 40%. In the last decade pink diamonds have increased approximately 400%.

Grading Pink Diamonds

Pink diamonds are graded according to the intensity of colour and Argyle uses a scale from one to nine, one being the most intense colour and nine the lightest colour. The one to nine grading is then given an additional grade according to each individual diamond hue.